Where Are They Now

Ashley Collins

THEN, Ashley Collins was a Chicago Lights Tutoring student eager to try all the things the program had to offer. A part of the program from fifth grade through her high school graduation, Ashley remembers doing all the worksheets she could get her hands on, going on a field trip to the stock market, participating in Career Development program mock interviews, a fashion show covered by local news, and internships, which then turned into a part-time job. “I loved Career Development, and it taught me how to be a young adult,” she recalls.

And all these experiences made her world a little broader. She says Chicago Lights helped her “realize all the choices and see all the options. I could go to college or trade school, and I knew I had a lot of support behind me for whatever I decided to do.”

She worked with several different tutors over the years, but Allison Branen, her first tutor, is still a part of her life. “She came to my high school graduation, and I went to a baby shower for her son, who’s five now,” she says. “We still text and talk from time to time.”

Ashley attended Trinity High School with the support of a Chicago Lights scholarship, and when she graduated in 2015, she went to DePaul University, where she earned a degree in journalism in 2019. Ashley was set to begin working with Weigel Broadcasting when the pandemic hit and the whole world’s plans changed. Instead of beginning a career, Ashley found herself back at home, and a few months later, she realized she was pregnant.

By the time the pandemic had abated, Ashley’s focus had shifted. Being a mom and having time to consider her future had made her want “a career with stability,” she says. She had considered being a teacher during her high school days, and after a recruiter called to let her know about the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) program, she shifted gears.

NOW, Ashley completed a master’s degree in middle grade education at DePaul in 2020 and has been teaching ever since. She is currently an 8th grade ELA teacher at Horizon Science Academy in McKinley Park, and she is also the reading specialist for Chicago Lights Tutoring and Summer Day. We are thrilled to have someone who has experienced the program firsthand come back to share her skills and knowledge with other students.

Ashley says it’s incredibly nostalgic to be back at Chicago Lights, particularly because her son, Archai, is now a participant. She’s grateful that current students have the same opportunities through Chicago Lights that she once had. “Having a safe place outside my home was the best thing my grandmother could have done for me,” she says. “The program is needed and necessary, and doesn’t really feel like a program. It’s always felt like a family to me.”

She says she’s grateful for this foundation, which has helped her find her way to the career she has today. “I love what I do,” Ashley explains. “It’s hard, but it is very rewarding—my kids call me ‘teacher mama’. You don’t do it for the money. You do it because you want to see kids learn and develop and grow, because you like to see wins in the classroom. You have to come in with the mindset that you’re not just a teacher. You’re mom, dad, counselor, therapist—it carries a lot of hats.”

Coming up on year five in the classroom, Ashley says she’s starting to consider her next opportunities—perhaps an instructional coach? Maybe an assistant principal? One thing she knows for sure, though, she wants to stay in education, nurturing kids. “I’m not positive yet,” she says. “But I’m moving forward in faith.”